Invictus: Sons of War
by StainedLace
Summary: Two years after the battle at planet Jewel, Earth's Galactic Federation has sent its best forces to defeat Captain Harlock under the command of Admiral Loan Van Buren. Though Harlock and Loan will stop at nothing to see each other dead, the Federation's brutal tactics will make them question who their real enemy is.
1. War

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain Harlock or subsequent series, they all belong to Leiji Matsumoto. I promise to put them back where I found them after I'm done playing with them.

A/N: GUESS WHO'S BACK?! I hate school, there's been practically no time for fun stuff and I apologize to you all for abandoning everything. So the good news is, I've started writing again! The bad news is, I'm still in school so this might take awhile. (Though I admit I've just about stopped caring.) So who wants to see what happens to Harlock, Loan, Baines, and everyone else?! I know I'm excited to share what I've got! Happy reading!

* * *

Politicians were a dubious lot with few morals. At least, that is what Loan Van Buren learned over the years. As a commanding officer, he did his best to limit his exposure to them; however, it was more than evident that avoiding them from here on out would be impossible.

"Admiral Van Buren!" Loan fought the urge to groan when a young, fair-faced man walked up to him with his hand extended. "I'm so glad you could make it."

Loan shook the other man's hand in greeting, though his grip was far tighter than necessary. The politician, Gerhard Aarden, was much smaller than he was in both height and build.

"Please have a seat," he smiled and motioned to one of the opulent chairs in his overly white, blinding office.

Loan obliged silently, perching himself on the one nearest to the door. As the young man sat down behind an opulent desk, the admiral studied his fluent grace and casual demeanor. He was quite unassuming with neat brown hair and wire framed glasses, but something about him did not sit right with Loan.

The admiral had been intrigued when he received a missive from the head of the Galactic Defense Department requesting a meeting, but he wondered if he made the correct decision to attend.

"You look quite well I should say," Gerhard said as he folded his hands on his desk. "I was told two years ago that there would be little chance of you making a full recovery."

Loan harrumphed, he would rather not be reminded of his fever induced hallucinations, multiple organ transplants, various infections, and his grueling year and a half in physical therapy.

"I'm not here for idle chit-chat, what does the Galactic Defense and the Federation want with me? I thought after my failure at Jewel they would want nothing more to do with me."

"Good heavens no!" Gerhard jumped. "I can assure you everyone in Earth's Galactic Federation, especially here at the GD, has been concerned about you; even Earth's president has taken a special interest in you," he said with no small measure of pride, though Loan himself was unsure just how he was supposed to feel about that.

"I assume you still have access to some of the Federation's most classified information, and understand that we're in the middle of a crisis."

"I know Harlock has organized all his friends into a more cooperative and cohesive unit, and that no less than thirty outlying planets have ousted Earth's officials," Loan replied flatly. "I also know that Federation ships, both private and belonging to the military, are rampaged daily. On average, twelve ships are destroyed beyond repair every month, our information can only stay secret for a matter of days at most, and so far, over five thousand soldiers have lost their lives." Loan watched as Gerhard's mouth twitched slightly. "It doesn't sound like you're in the middle of a crisis, this is war."

"Indeed," Gerhard acknowledge darkly, his pleasant demeanor vanished for a few moments before it quickly returned. "The Federation is coming down hard on us, they want Harlock gone and so far our efforts have failed. None of our officers has been able to challenge Harlock or the Arcadia and we feel the effects daily. That is why the Federation has given me clearance to put together a task force of our absolute best operatives to take down Harlock, and I want you to lead it."

Loan did not react.

"We've even called upon several retired officers who've agreed to this, you're to use any means necessary to capture or kill Harlock." Gerhard removed a tablet from a desk drawer and placed it before Loan. "Everything you need to know is in here."

The admiral glanced down at the device then back to Gerhard. He now knew this was not a request, he had no choice but to accept the position. Reluctantly he picked up the tablet, turned it on, and skimmed through several of the files. Five brand new battleships were his to command, including the flagship Hyperion. Each ship had a crew of around eighty personnel, twenty officers, two-hundred soldiers, and—

"The X-corps?" Loan was genuinely surprised. "The Federation must be desperate."

"Quite," Gerhard said. "Although I must say I'm more surprised they've waited this long to include them. They are very efficient at what they do."

"Yes well, assassinating politicians is one thing, but Harlock will no doubt be a challenge, even for them," Loan replied. "When am I to report for duty?"

"This very afternoon!" The admiral should not have been surprised. "As soon as you gather whatever supplies you need report to hanger KV 14, your crew will be waiting."

Loan stood, seeing no reason why he needed to remain in this office with a man he was not altogether comfortable with. Wordlessly he walked towards the door, only pausing when Gerhard spoke.

"Please do your best Admiral; there are many people who are depending upon you to stop Harlock. As I'm sure you're aware, he's quite a destructive individual; what he does can have deadly consequences for many."

Loan chose not to respond and left the room. The only visible evidence that Gerhard's words struck a chord within him was his tightened jaw and clenched fist.

His long stride carried him down the expansive corridors of the Galactic Defense Department's central office on Earth. His surroundings here were also white, and the sunlight that poured through the large windows made his eyes hurt. As he rubbed his temple Loan spied someone he recognized walking in the opposite direction. He had never seen him in a black commando uniform before, and his hair was grayer than ever, but Loan would recognize that stern countenance anywhere.

"I take it your medical leave has ended," Adalric Vielle said starkly when their paths crossed.

"Indeed it has," Loan replied to his once prospective father-in-law. "I have only a few hours to put my affairs in order before I deploy this afternoon. From your appearance I gather that you are no longer retired, and I wonder if I shall see you again before this day is out."

The older man's silence was his answer, and though his grim expression did not change, Adalric was undoubtedly displeased. Well, that made two of them.

"Which ship is to be yours?" Loan questioned out of curiosity.

"I'm not in command of a ship," Adalric answered. "You might say I'm being demoted in a way, I'm returning as a Commander."

"Really?" Loan was stunned. "Things must be worse than I initially believed."

"Evidently," he said. "Harlock has done enough damage, it's about time we put a stop to it."

"Indeed," the admiral said as he broke away. "You must excuse me, I have much to do at the moment, but I shall see you soon Commander X."

Adalric watched as Loan walked away, and thought how aberrant fate was, yet realized how it could be no other way. They both had personal reasons for hunting Harlock, and two daughters who would never return home.

If nothing else, it would be interesting to see what fate had in store for them. War had a tendency to bring out the best and worst in men, and this one was sure to try their convictions, if not their very souls.


	2. Rise of the Abyss (ptI)

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, writing action takes me awhile. This chapter was inspired heavily by Two Steps From Hell's song Rise of the Abyss from their album Solaris. So if you want some awesome music to listen to while reading I couldn't recommend TSFH enough.

Everyone say thanks to Cinerari for her awesome editing! Her stories are awesome, you should go check them out if you haven't already!

Enjoy!

* * *

The battle cruiser Bayonet was a Neptune class, with twenty-two guns and nine cannons. The ship was one of best, credited with destroying fifteen pirate ships and decorated with thirty battle stars, the Earth Federation Flying Pennant, and the Presidential Unit Citation. Too bad it would never recover its reputation after today.

"Ya know, I almost feel bad about this one," Yattaran sighed as he gazed approvingly at the silver-colored vessel as it turned all its guns towards the Arcadia, and then he shrugged. "Ah well, I just hope those guys on board appreciated it while it lasted."

Harlock himself did not echo his first mate's sentiments as the pirate ship rocked from impact. The Bayonet may have been pretty and won its fair share of battles, but it was a Federation ship, and that meant it had to be destroyed.

"Take out their weapons first," Harlock calmly instructed as he stood before the helm. "After we destroy their engines we'll board them."

An invasive whirring alarm sounded throughout the ship as the Arcadia returned fire, a signal of the captain's intentions to commandeer the enemy vessel to their crew. Harlock watched indifferently as their cannons quickly crippled the Bayonet and obliterated its weapons. For a brief moment, he wondered how many bodies would be among the twisted wreckage that floated around the opposing ship.

"Their system is triple encrypted," Yattaran said as he tried to hack into their mainframe. "We'll have to board their ship and find a terminal before I can get their schematic."

"That's fine," Harlock replied. It was an all too common occurrence nowadays; he saw no reason to be concerned. "We'll pull alongside and board them as usual," he said to his helmsmen as Yattaran left the bridge.

"We were unable to intercept their distress signal, Captain. By our estimates their backup will be here within the hour," Sabu said.

"Tell the boarding party they have thirty minutes to take their bridge and gather the supplies," Harlock ordered. "We'll remain in combat mode until they finish their job."

His directions were followed as the Arcadia quickly closed the distance between itself and the Bayonet. When the harpoons were engaged and ready to launch, Harlock turned to leave the bridge, intending to join the boarding party down on the assault bay; however, he was stopped before he could reach the armored doors.

"Uh captain, their backup may already be here," Sabu grimaced as a warning signal flashed on the main screen. "A ship is exiting hyperspace 2.4 space kilometers from us."

"Stay harpoon launch, turn all our weapons towards the unknown ship," Harlock said as he resumed his position before the helm. "We won't wait for them to fire first."

Harlock turned his attention to the overhead screen that displayed the location of the ship. There was no way they would be able to see it with their own eyes given the distance, but as soon as their systems confirmed its exit, Harlock was a little surprised.

"The ship is hailing us captain," another helmsman said. "It's the Vanguard!"

The pirate captain almost smiled.

"Disengage," he instructed with a sigh of relief. "Ready the harpoons again and keep a lookout for enemy ships. As soon as our communications are linked put Baines on. Might as well find out why he's interrupting us."

As long as he had known him, Harlock knew Baines would not intentionally seek him out without reason. The gunrunner was keeping busy supplying their friends and rebel fighters on the outlying planets with all the goods he and other pirates stole. Harlock had only spoken to Baines via telecommunication for the past two years.

"Long time no see!" Baines greeted the instant his face popped up on screen. He had not changed much, Harlock noted. Baines was still rugged, needed to shave, and had a healing shiner under his right eye.

"Likewise." Harlock inclined his head, realizing it had been almost two months since he had last spoken with him. Time sure seemed to fly by these days.

"I need you to talk fast, we're in the middle of a raid," Harlock said. "Their backup will be here shortly."

"I get ya," Baines nodded. "I need to get on that ship and see if I can access the Federation's mainframe."

"You think that this ship will still have the capability to access it remotely?"

Baines nodded. "It's worth a shot at least, I've received some reliable info that the Feds are planning to take back one of the planets that just fought them off, but I don't know which one."

"I don't know how much luck you'll have," Harlock replied. "Yattaran just tried to hack their system and found it was impossible given our timeframe, you'll have only fifteen minutes to get what you need before we have to pull out of here."

"Well then, I guess we better stop yapping and get down to business!" Baines laughed. "You're going in on their starboard side, so I'll take the port. My team will head straight to the bridge."

"Be careful." His words sounded more like a warning than consideration, but Baines did not seem to notice, or even care.

"Same to you," he waved. "Don't die on me before we get to have another drink together!"

Harlock cracked a grin as the communication screen went blank. He would not mind spending a night drinking with an old friend, finding what he had been up to and exchanging wild stories. Maybe he would even ask about…no.

Harlock turned and left the bridge with a flourish of his cloak. He did not want to know what happened to the skinny, black-haired young woman that he had grown fond of years ago. It was often best to think of what could be and nourish the fantasy, rather than learn the truth. Right now though, he needed to think about leading his crew and making sure everyone got back safe.

The assault bay was already crowded with the armored boarding party when Harlock arrived. This was the only room on the ship that stretched from one side of the hull to the other and encompassed two levels. The walls were heavily plated and the doors reinforced; if a job ever went bad and they were boarded their enemy would not get very far.

"Baines is sending a group to join us on the bridge, so watch out for them." Harlock's voice reverberated in the large room as he walked to the centermost doors where they gathered. "Yattaran, I'll need you to come to the bridge, Baines wants to try to access the Federation mainframe."

"I can already tell you it won't be easy," the first mate said as the screeching sound of metal striking metal filled the bay; a sign the Arcadia was forcefully docking with the opposing ship. "If I had trouble trying to get their ship info then hacking into the Fed's system will be impossible with our time limit."

"He wants to try regardless." Harlock drew his saber. "He says there might be a plan to take back one of the newly freed planets, but he's unsure of which one."

"I'll do my best to help him," Yattaran promised as the doors before them hissed then clanked open.

Erratic gunfire assailed them before the doors were fully open. Harlock charged ahead of his crew, recognizing it as scattershot: wide, indiscriminate, and less likely to kill them.

Their anchor point was, luckily, a broad storage room filled with crates, giving the soldiers little room to maneuver. Eliminating could not have been easier. Harlock's blade sliced through their armor and into flesh and bone as he cleared a path for those who followed him.

The only problem was several of the soldiers took advantage of their arbitrary surroundings by climbing up onto the crates and firing from above, or shooting from behind them. Time was of the essence, and Harlock threw himself into the most dangerous positions, blindly running behind their flanks. There would always be two or three more behind every enemy combatant he struck down, but few could point their weapons in his direction before they felt that burning agony as his saber cut through them before collapsing.

Not all were so slow to react, and when the room was theirs Harlock had been shot three times: in the upper leg, his back, and down through his shoulder. The back wound was the least bothersome, but the other two were more deeply penetrating and he had to take a minute to push himself past the pain. The holes were quite small and barely noticeable, leaving Harlock to think they were small high-caliber rounds.

In that short span of time, his crew secured the room and ventured out into the corridor, clearing it of any Federation personnel. Harlock heard very few shots outside the room, so he did not think there was much opposition. Chances were there would be far more fighters defending the bridge than what had been here.

"I've got it!" Yattaran cried in triumph after getting the schematic from a computer terminal close to the doors leading to the hallway. He quickly downloaded it into his gauntlet where he was able to display it via hologram. "Follow me; I'll lead us to their bridge."

Harlock quickly did so after instructing two of the party to remain behind and guard their exit.

The Bayonet was a maze of sterile white corridors and sealed doors. Closed bulkheads prevented any direct path to the bridge, forcing them to take multiple, alternate paths. Yet each corner they turned they were met with resistance. There were never more than four, and it took only seconds to get past them, but it was lost time. It also took several minutes to override the commands that locked down the lifts, and Harlock could not help but glare at his watch every minute or so.

"There's one last lift we need to take to get to their bridge," Yattaran said as he slowed his pace. "It's just up ahead, but my guess is that's where the toughest opposition will be."

Harlock nodded in response. His long stride took him past his first mate and ahead of his crew, each step sending a sharp pain down his leg. He gritted his teeth as they came to a corner and pressed his back against the wall, peering around to see just how many soldiers they had to fight.

It was not good.

Clustered in the wide corridor were fifty or more combatants standing between them and the doors that would lead them to the bridge.

"So, how many are there?" Harlock jumped at the voice next to his ear.

Beside him was a broad figure clad in black armor with an automatic rifle on his shoulder. The armor concerned Harlock; it was incredibly light, with separated plates allowing for better movement.

"Baines," Harlock greeted. Even though the black helmet obscured his friend's face, he knew the gunrunner's loud voice anywhere. "There's somewhere around fifty," he answered as he looked to see that Baines had brought about fifteen of his own crew; all of them wearing similar armor.

Harlock himself counted twenty of his own men, and even with Baines' added numbers, they were still outnumbered. Given the small space, someone on their side was bound to get hurt if they charged them head on.

"Only fifty?" Baines laughed as he motioned for one of his men. "That's nothing!"

"That's fifty guns," Harlock countered as the smallest of Baines' group walked between them to peek around the corner.

"So?" Baines obviously did not see the danger according to Harlock. He was now convinced the gunrunner had lost all common sense.

The smaller form took a step back and reached for two grenades hanging from his belt. After he handed one to Baines, Harlock realized just what the gunrunner had planned. Sometimes playing it dirty was the best way to get things done.

"First smoke," Baines said as he pulled the pin and threw it around the corner. There was a burst of gunfire as the grenade landed and instantly filled the entire corridor with thick black smoke. "Then an explosive."

The small one then hurled the second grenade, but this one rocked the entire level when it detonated, nearly knocking Harlock off his feet. Baines' small crewmember then rushed past him and into the thick haze, followed by the other gunrunners and a few of his own pirates.

"Don't think their fifty guns will be much of a problem now." Baines smacked Harlock on the shoulder as he rushed into the fray, firing his gun. "You coming?"

Harlock gave a small smile then hurled himself around the corner.


	3. Rise of the Abyss (ptII)

You get TWO chapters this time! Its my way of apologizing for making you wait so long. Enjoy!

* * *

Bullets and laser fire punctured the smoke as Harlock fought his way through the lines of Federation soldiers that blocked the doors to the Bayonet's bridge. The smoke was quickly dissipating, as well as the number of enemy combatants.

Given the confined space, there was little to do besides shoot at each other from a given distance. Harlock himself did not favor such tactics and simply hoped he would not suffer from friendly fire as he sliced through each soldier he faced.

He was not alone either, that small crewmember of Baines seemed to prefer close combat as well and his technique was well suited. Harlock watched him out of the corner of his eye weave his way through the compacted lines, twisting limbs and firing point blank shots into their armor's weak points.

Their side was able to advance as the number of opponents quickly dwindled, with Yattaran racing ahead to secure and override the command panel. Harlock himself cut down the last standing soldier, sending a sharp stab of pain down his arm. His leg was throbbing and growing weaker as well. This needed to end soon, and not just because the Federation backup could be there soon.

"See?" Baines clapped Harlock on his uninjured shoulder, nearly knocking him over. "Fifty was nothing!"

Harlock gave a small smile before ordering some of his men to retreat and begin loading the supplies onto the Arcadia. "I want us out of here in fifteen minutes," he said, and not just to his own crew.

"That's pushing it don't you think?" Baines asked as Yattaran gained control of the lift and commanded the doors to open.

"No," he stated. "We've completed jobs in less time."

The sound of heavy clanking, then screeching metal drowned Harlock's last words. The elevator doors stalled, but they gave way enough for them to see that the Bayonet's crew were creating every obstacle they could to prevent their bridge from being taken.

"Great," Baines sighed when he saw the mass of scorched metal.

The elevator lay in a crumpled heap before them, with much of the surrounding shaft blackened from a high-powered explosive. Sparks flew from exposed wiring, and pieces from the shaft and elevator fell through the doors and onto the ground.

"Looks like we're going to have to get up there the hard way."

"Be careful, we don't know if there's a tripwire," Harlock cautioned as Yattaran and the small gunrunner peered into the wreckage.

"My sensors aren't picking up anything," Yattaran said of the scans his helmet had completed. "You see anything?"

The small one shook his head then tentatively took a step onto the pile of twisted steel. He looked up the shaft then turned to speak to Baines.

"They've rigged their bridge doors with an explosive." Upon hearing the gunrunner speak, Harlock was surprised to find the small crewmember had a feminine tone of voice. "I can disarm it."

"Then go on and do it," Baines said. "And don't get yourself blown up."

The small crewmember shoved his gun into his holster before he carefully climbed the wreckage. Harlock watched as he found something on the wall to latch onto and hoist himself up, disappearing altogether from view.

He thought he recognized that voice.

"Baines, who is that?" Harlock felt a sinking feeling in his heart as his friend chuckled.

"Who is that?" he repeated, amused. "Who the hell do you think it is?"

Harlock's eye went wide as he spun to face his friend, grabbing his shoulder and shaking it.

"That's _not_ Adalyn!" His words sounded as if he was trying to convince himself that it was not possible the Adalyn he remembered and the crewmember was one in the same.

Adalyn was skinny and naïve, lucky and stubborn. That was what he remembered about her, and he never forgot the kiss they shared in the Arcadia's med bay.

Adalyn was **not** a gunrunner and a fighter, and she sure as hell did not disarm bombs!

"Sure it is!" Baines responded. "You were an idiot for letting her go you know that?" He smacked Harlock's hand away. "She's been trained, and by someone _good_."

Harlock barely listened to what Baines had said. He was downright angry with him. Baines was supposed to take care of her and fulfill a promise that Harlock made to her in his stead: to take her wherever she wanted so she could start a new life. She did not need to be here.

A shooting pain down his arm alerted him to the tight grip he had on his saber, and he winced when he forced himself to relax his hold, which also hurt.

"You okay?" Baines asked him, his usual boisterous tone replaced with one that showed concern.

"I'm fine," Harlock lied through gritted teeth. He felt his leg begin to spasm slightly as the muscles continued to weaken.

Baines was not convinced. "How about you guys go and get all their supplies and load them onto your ship. We can secure their bridge and get what we need."

Harlock mulled this over, thinking that splitting up now would save his crew precious time. He decided to agree to it Baines' offer partially.

"Yattaran and I will stay," Harlock said. "The rest of you will go and help the others load their supplies onto our ship," he instructed his remaining crewmen who immediately turned and hurried back the way they came.

Baines sighed but chose not to argue with his stubborn friend. He knew Harlock was hurt, but he also knew that pointing it out and telling him to get back to his ship would be a further waste of breath. Baines was continually amazed his pirate friend had lived as long as he had.

"The bomb is wired to explode if you try to disarm it," Adalyn said as she dropped back into view. "We'll have to detonate it."

"Did you already plant a plastic explosive on it?" She nodded in response to Baines' question. "How much did you use? I don't want you bringing their bridge down on top of us."

"Well it would certainly save us the trouble of having to climb up to it, don't you think?" Adalyn retorted hotly. "I swear, you accidently blow up one building and you never let anyone live it down."

"That was a munitions warehouse you blew up along with everything surrounding it! It took five days for the fires to die out and I actually felt bad for the Feds who had to clean up the mess you made!" Baines pointed while she stepped off the mangled elevator. "And you're damn right I won't let you forget it!"

"Do you want to blow this thing or keep bringing up my screw-ups?" Adalyn asked as she walked up to him and produced a small detonator from her belt.

Baines took the detonator and motioned to Harlock with his gun. "Let's get back."

Adalyn groaned loudly in irritation as everyone hurried back down the hallway to take cover around the corner. Baines himself led Harlock by the edge of his cloak while he informed the pirate it was a good idea if he kept his head down and covered his ears.

"You know you should hire an actual explosives expert if you're going to keep complaining about the work I do," Adalyn shot when she stomped around the corner.

"I'm working on it," Baines joked, flipping the safety off the detonator. "I haven't had a chance to go through all the resumes yet."

Adalyn harrumphed and folded her arms. She did not say anything else, and it was impossible for Harlock to see by her expression if she was truly irritated with Baines. He tapped his little finger against the grip of his saber while he wondered if he should say something to her.

The opportunity escaped him when Baines pressed the button, causing a deafening boom. The elevator doors and shrapnel flew past the hallway where they huddled and crashed onto the floor.

"If you destroyed the terminals on their bridge so help me," Baines swore when the dust settled.

"I only put a basic on there!" Adalyn said. "That was from theirs!"

"Yeah, yeah, I've only heard that about a hundred times," Baines peered around the corner before he stepped back into the hall and waved to them. "It's all clear, let's go!"

"Gawd!" she threw up her hands, then followed him.

Harlock leaned against the wall as Baines' crew rushed past him. Yattaran lingered behind with him, and approached him when the last man left the hallway.

"You alright Captain?" he asked.

Harlock clenched his teeth as another painful spasm raced through his leg. He looked down at his wound, which was a tiny hole through his pant leg. He could not see the extent of the injury, but given the pain he was in, he figured the expanding gases caused by the bullet did quite a bit of damage to the muscle.

When the pain subsided, he pushed himself from the wall and nodded.

"I've made it this far," he said, slightly limping as he walked around the corner. "Let's finish this and get back."


End file.
